Exclusive! Naezy: Gully Boy is inspired by me and DIVINE; happy that Ranveer Singh is playing a rapper

Naved Shaikh a.k.a. Naezy is one of the flag bearers of the ‘real’ hip-hop scene in India. Starting off as a boy from the streets, today he is a name that is reckoned with across the world. So much is his popularity that a documentary (Bombay 70) has already been made on his life. And another film which is influenced by his struggle, Gully Boy, is hitting the screens tomorrow (February 14). Before that, we caught up with Naezy and he mentioned how he is happy that Ranveer Singh is playing the role of a rapper. He further added how Ranveer is the perfect fit as he has been following the rap/hip-hop scene throughout the last decade. And that makes it easy for him to justify the character.

Clarifying that the film is not a biopic, but inspired by DIVINE and his life, Naezy added that he always had Ranveer in mind for the movie. As he revealed to us exclusively, “Ranveer knows about hip-hop from a long time. He used to hear our work too. In fact, even before Gully Boy was conceptualised, he used to hear our songs. He even lip-synced my song – Birju and he used to enjoy listening to our songs. He loved our style. When the scratch idea of this film was being made, I had Ranveer in my mind all along. I felt he can pull it off. He is very energetic and playing a rapper would suit him. And that’s what happened. When Zoya (Akhtar) ma’am mentioned that Ranveer will play the role, I was happy. I was ecstatic that we’ll be able to work together. And that’s what happened.”

Adding about chilling with the star, Naezy mentioned, “DIVINE and I are very serious, while Ranveer is very energetic. It is not that he isn’t serious, but when he is around then the atmosphere is quite different. So when we chill together, we try to match up with him. It is fun. We do have rap sessions, we jam. I sing his songs, he sings mine, we do freestyle raps. So the atmosphere is quite amazing and full of hip-hop. It doesn’t feel like he is an actor, feels like he is a rapper too!” Check out our full exclusive interview with Naezy above and share with us your thoughts in the comments section below! Also stay tuned to Cine Blitz as we get you all the news and gossip from the world of Bollywood right here.